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Rurôni Kenshin: Sai shûshô - The Beginning (2021)
A Poetic Masterpiece
Everything clicked perfectly for this film from the story, romance, cinematography, soundtrack, acting, action... I've loved Ruroken since childhood and I can say through and through that I prefer this rendition more than Trust and Betrayal, much as I love that one as well of course. I've seen Trust and Betrayal multiple times in the past but only until I saw The Beginning did I fully understand the story and lore regarding the political aspects of things. I noticed The Beginning added much more depth and development to the romance and other aspects and clarified the story really well.
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The Beginning, though the final installment of the five film series, doesn't alienate newcomers nor non anime fans and serves as a perfect standalone that accurately depicts historical Japan and is a treat to fans of Rurouni Kenshin and Japan's history and culture.
Though viewing of the previous movie releases is highly recommended for the full experience, it is still a universal appeal towards everyone and is not only limited towards people who have seen the previous films or anime fans. The Beginning is a legitimate samurai period piece that truly transcends a live action anime adaptation.
This film was portrayed beautifully in a way in which we've never seen before from the previous releases thus far, both on a technological and storytelling standpoint. The movie magnifies the pain and struggle of the period in such a beautiful way, complemented by a touching romance and compelling period drama story. Takeru Satoh and Kasumi Arimura shine in the leading roles with outstanding chemistry. All the actors delivered and it is all put together masterfully with Director Otomo's brilliant screenplay, Naoki Sato's soundtrack, and Kenji Tanigaki's action choreography. This is truly cinema at it's finest and you can really tell Director Otomo cared so much for Rurouni Kenshin.
Overall, I love The Beginning and it is potentially my favorite not only out of the whole Ruroken saga, but favorite film in general. I am thankful for everyone who made this amazing movie series possible and for bringing Kenshin to life on the big screen. I truly love the Ruroken Saga from Origins to The Beginning. From 2012 to 2021, it's been an unforgettable journey.
Rurôni Kenshin: Sai shûshô - The Final (2021)
Best Action Film I Have Ever Seen in My Life
Wow, just wow. My rating above is not accurate because I give The Final an 11/10. I am honestly left awestruck with what I just watched. I did not know this film series could transcend the limits of cinema any higher than the standard the previous three movies had set, but I am so glad to say that they not only managed to pull it off, but they literally blew it out of the water with this one and overexceeded expectations in every aspect of the film. Rurouni Kenshin The Final is the best action movie I have ever seen in my life, and it's not even close at all.
The fights were out of this world mindblowing. Loved to see more of the side characters in action as well, they got their shine with their superb fight scenes too. Cinematography was amazing, the movie truly shines as a full fledged, well developed action drama. They nailed the drama aspect perfectly on this one, better than the first three and I love to see it. The mood and emotional weight was so heavy, this film was every bit my vibe and I loved every second of it from start to end. Somehow, someway, they even managed to improve the already amazing soundtrack of the previous three movies and I loved that they added music to more scenes. As great as the previous three movies are, The Final easily makes them look and feel like they were on training wheels, in my opinion.
Yukishiro Enishi and his gang were all so scary and menacing, I loved every bit of them. The villain writing was just so perfectly well done. Enishi and his group are exactly what I want villains to be. What else is there to say, perfectly casted and executed from top to bottom. Every actor and actress excelled in each of their own respective roles and brought a new level of depth to their character.
I am so thankful to all of the creators and actors and actresses who made this film series possible. It's been an amazing 10
years, I give a sincere thank you, truly from the bottom of my heart. The two year wait was so worth it. I am so grateful, I can't wait to see The Beginning next! Thank you, Kenshin.
Mulan (2020)
Beautifully adapted into live action
I absolutely loved this film... I don't agree at all with any of the bad reviews, it was an amazing experience for me personally. When I first heard the news of a live action Mulan coming out, I was so excited because this was one of my favorite Disney stories, I would love to see it come to life in cinema form. I have always been a fan of historical films/setting, and so I was hoping and really curious about this one, but I am really glad to say that it exceeded my expectations.
This adaptation took the essence of the Mulan story I love and made it into real cinema, more mature, more substance, and overall just resonated with me more and left a greater impact on me than the animated one.. I love the morals that are taught and emphasized in this film, they were inspiring. I like action films, but when a movie also has a heart and soul, meaning, and a desire to leave an impact on the viewer deeper than on a surface level, those are the ones that resonate with me most. I easily prefer Mulan over any MCU or DCU film these days. I was inspired and in awe by the end of this film, it is definitely my favorite Disney live action adaptation and top 10 in my all time favorite movies list.
Yifei Liu was wonderful and perfect in her role, I loved her interpretation of Mulan more than the animated one quite frankly... All of the other actors as well, from Jet Li whom I also love, Jason Scott Lee, Tzi Ma, to all the other supporting cast too, all played their parts excellently.
I am one who is very lenient with and believes in changes from the source material, as long as it is done right and applied well for the betterment of the adaption. With this one having quite a few changes, I honestly loved every single bit of it. I like how they took out Mushu, giving the film a deeper sense of realism and focused more on Mulan's personal journey in a serious tone. As much as I like Disney musicals and with me being initially disappointed upon hearing the news that the song "Reflection" wouldn't be in the movie, finally upon seeing the film I now see why and I couldn't have been more glad they did it that way. It fit perfectly the way they did it, only doing instrumental soundtracks, which were really great by the way, while also adding Reflection in some parts.. It was beautiful and epic whenever the instrumental version of Reflection played, and it fulfilled my craving, as Mulan would not be Mulan without its iconic song. And when it's all said and done after that amazing and beautiful ending, hearing the song both in its English and Chinese versions was just the perfect icing on the cake and I couldn't ask for more. I like the introduction of "chi" to the story, I found that much interesting the way they played it out and how it complemented Mulan's personal story. The witch was also great, and I loved the symbolism of the phoenix and how it constantly follows and looks after Mulan throughout, I found that pretty powerful... I even like the way Mulan revealed her identity here over the animated one, where it was done straightforwardly and didn't start a big drama between the characters.. I preferred this ending over the animated one honestly, the action and execution of the ending was better done in my opinion, compared to the animated film where it was a lot of comedy and had a lighter tone whereas this one was more serious and action driven. The execution of most scenes overall appealed to me more, as they were made to be more serious and powerful. Scenes such as the matchmaking in the start, or the traning scenes, which were light-hearted in the animated version, I prefer in the live action.
I was in awe all throughout with the action scenes, especially with the ending, and this is coming from a Rurouni Kenshin fan (yes check those films out as well, they are also amazing and beautiful and probably the best samurai action films, or action films in general that you will get to see). The cinematograohy and action choreography was nothing short of stunning, love it. At first I was wondering how they would handle it in PG-13, since this story does touch upon war, but I'm glad to say they did it really well and did actually show some violence too. It didn't feel obvious that they were trying to make it a movie only for kids and for Disney's standards, I really applaud them for that. I also loved the use of slow motion in this film, generally not a big fan of it but this movie is an exception as they just did it so well that it really enhanced some particular action scenes and made them even more amazing.
I personally think Disney reached a new level with this film and I am amazed at the fact that in all the years of past, Disney has only ever been in animation and yet after transitioning to live action outside of their comfort zone, they still know how to convey their magic in a different sense and experience even while being in a new, foreign form of media and ultimately of course, still be able to produce great content at the end of the day. I don't know about the other live action movies because I haven't seen most of them, but I speak for Mulan that I loved the movie so much. It was such a beautiful film that took the Mulan story to a whole new level. I think this film will stick with me for a long while and I'm just so thankful that it was made the way it was and that this film exists. Live action has come a long way, and I truly believe that Rurouni Kenshin and Mulan are the best of both worlds, both historical, one being Japanese and the other a Chinese setting. I would love to see this movie with my family someday soon when I get to see them again. So once again, thank you for your magic, Disney :).
Rurôni Kenshin: Kyôto taika-hen (2014)
A Symphony of Excellence
Props to director Keishi Otomo and all the staff and actors for creating yet another masterfully done film that brings Rurouni Kenshin to life. Yet again I find myself bewildered by the cinematography, action scenes, awe-inspiring acting, soundtrack, and everything else in between... From the first five minutes, I knew I was in for an epic ride as we get to see one of the greatest villain introductions of all time in cinema history, and it only gets better from there.
Takeru Satoh yet again exceeds expectations for his role, perfectly capturing all of Kenshin's loveable quirks and traits, while also showing his sympathetic feelings of remorse at the right times. All of the supporting cast, both new and old, thrived in the film as well. Shishio Makoto was such a terrifying villain, with Tatsuya Fujiwara bringing the film to new heights with his menacing wickedness. I admire his performance so much that I slightly prefer the live action's Shishio over the anime. The scenes involving Shishio always gives me chills and not to mention the cinematography during his appearances and his epic villainy soundtracks that play as well.
Naoki Sato once again perfectly encapsulates the Meiji Era feel and enhances the film with his compositions, beautiful when it needs to be and epic in the right moments as well. Even One Ok Rock was on point with their song "Mighty Long Fall".
I loved the changes that they made and improved upon from the anime, especially the grand finale with the Kyoto Inferno fight. It was brilliantly executed and choreographed, just amazing. They cut out a lot of the unnecessary fluff from the anime/manga, mostly comedic elements and some other stuff here and there, and instead focused more on the best parts, making it a more focused and driven movie. Loved the way how they set things up for the third movie in the end, this is what a movie that sets up for a sequel should be. I truly admire the originality of the live action and the director's ambition and fearlessness, the Rurouni Kenshin films are not afraid to create it's own identity by changing some stuff up for the betterment of the adaptation.
The pacing was perfect, I was enthralled all throughout the movie. The quality stays consistent at a high level all throughout. It's just so great how these Kenshin movies manage to consistently surpass it's preceding film. One thing I really admire about the RK film series is that you can really feel the passion in every scene, how much everyone involved really cared about giving it their all so that they could produce the best end result possible.
This film series goes beyond that of an anime adaptation, I would strongly recommend to anyone who is a fan of Japan and its history, action films, or the samurai genre, and it even has drama and romance as well! RK would have to be in my top 2 personal favorite film series, I much prefer them over Hollwyood nowadays for sure.
They did a great job of adapting the historical context from the anime/manga and took it to an even greater level with Kyoto Inferno and The Legend Ends, love it. I also love how they made it a very political movie. Overall Rurouni Kenshin transitioned to live action really well, I am really thankful that we got such an amazing adaptation, thank you Japan. Now I cannot wait to see The Final and The Beginning.
Fortuna no hitomi (2019)
Amazing, touching movie
This film was such a pleasant surprise, I am so glad that I decided to give it a shot, it's been a while since I have been this touched, amazed, and inspired by a film.. I was hooked with the story from beginning to end and I loved the main characters so much, with Ryosuke Kamiki and Kasumi Arimura's excellently executed roles in Shin and Aoi, I find the writing nothing short of brilliant. That's saying a lot because it's rare for me to ever be so invested with film characters. It was a story well told and thankfully I didn't find any controversial moments that would have ruined the film for me. Everyone involved with this movie from the actors to the staff, all executed their respective roles perfectly.. I absolutely loved the soundtrack as well, it added such a beautiful touch and blended well with the scenes to convey the best emotional impact for the moment. The ending wrapped it all up perfectly, a solid conclusion to a beautiful story. This is a film that'll stay with me for a while, I think it will always be one of my top all time favorites from here on out. Go watch Fortuna's Eye :).
Rurôni Kenshin: Ishin shishi e no Requiem (1997)
Such a Beautiful Film
I judge movies and tv shows based on its emotional impact on me, and needless to say this was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had with a movie.. Just plain outright amazing, a very impactful and inspirational film.. Just when I'd thought I've seen everything from Rurouni Kenshin, I find this movie.. The soundtrack was outwright beautiful and heartwarming, the animation was second to none, and the fighting sequences were some of the best I've seen from any Rurouni Kenshin overall. I am so glad this film lived up to my expectations, definitely a must watch.
Fainaru fantajî XIII (2009)
Amazing game
One of the very few videogames to ever have fully capture me.. Super immersive and captivating, I found myself completely engulfed and taken over by this game ever since I started to play. It is super rare for me to get fully immersed with a game to the point where I can't get it off my mind, as I am normally pretty tough to please with my standards for games. It has one of the most likeable cast IMO next to FFX and FFVII, the soundtrack is so beautiful and epic, the graphics are the best, and the battle system is perfect and flashy. I'm intrigued by the story as well, it is one of the best Final Fantasy stories and a top contender in terms of personal appeal for me. As for the linearity everyone complains about, that's exactly why I love this game. I am not a big fan of non-linear games, and so FF13 along with FFX, and FF7 remake, are my top three favorite Final Fantasy games. I feel like this game is vital to the franchise because it is only the third modern FF turn based game (not including the sequels to FF13) before the switch to action rpg style. And so as much as I love FFX, which is my all time favorite, it's nice to get to see an upgraded and more advanced Final Fantasy turn based game as well in terms of graphics and gameplay.
Mononoke-hime (1997)
Absolutely Beautiful Film
The plot is carried out in utmost excellency and brilliance, the soundtrack is phenomenal, this overall movie is just a work of beauty showcasing the height of Hayao Miyazaki's greatness. Ashitaka and San are my favorite protagonists in arguably any Ghibli film. As a nature lover, this was a really impactful film for me that inspires me in a way that extends beyond cinema. Very meaningful message and teaches valuable life lessons along the way. Definitely a must-watch.
Gedo senki (2006)
A good watch
While there's no denying there are flaws in this film, it still holds a special place for me and I still very much love it. I love the soundtrack with it's epic feel and I personally find the two main characters Arren and Therru, to be really likable. Although the story and pacing could have been executed better, I still appreciate the film for what it is.
Kokuriko-zaka kara (2011)
Never a dull moment, a work of beauty and fun-filled movie :)
I loved this movie, coming into it I was not at all expecting it to be as good as it turned out to be. It blew my expectations, definitely the best Studio Ghibli film I have seen hands down. It never drops in quality at any point in the film, never a dull moment and always keeps you entertained and captivated. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful all throughout, and the story is just wonderful as well. This film brings a smile to my heart and it's just such a wonderful work of beauty :).